Fusion and Division
by Albertson
Summary: Earth and Mewni have been cleaved together. The world is panicking and everyone is looking for something and someone to blame. Unfortunately, for Star, the most powerful people in the world are pointing fingers at her. On the run from the government, Star must get to Moon and Eclipsa before they become targets. Elsewhere, an old foe is looking to finish what she started.
1. Crisis point

**Crisis point**

While Albert and Monogram were busy in Royal Woods hunting down Bill's wand, Kilstone was left in charge of the Excalibur Institute. Similarly, Carl was running O.W.C.A. in Monogram's absence. For the most part, things were pretty uneventful. There was one issue, but due to the circumstances behind it, Excalibur couldn't intervene. The last report from Albert had stated that Bill had unleashed a killer plague on the town and Albert, not wanting it to spread to the homeworld, ordered a suspension of portal travel between HQ and Royal Woods until the situation was under control. Kilstone was on his way to Doctor Pike for an update.

"Any news, Doctor?" Kilstone asked.

"There is a magic specialist that Albert is consulting to help us develop an antidote. With any luck, the sickness will be cured in no time flat," Pike replied.

"Good, the sooner the captain arrives with that wand, the better. I'd like to get to work on a containment device as soon as possible," Kilstone acknowledged.

"If I may, sir. Given what we've heard, both from Royal Woods and the Second Dimension, do we really know how we can contain such a device?" Pike inquired.

"I'll be honest with you, doc, I just don't know how we'll contain it, or if we even can. But we have to try. Hopefully, the Magic High Commission can tell us if we can destroy it," Kilstone answered. Just then, alarms started blaring across the institute. "Now what?!" Kilstone said. The comms in med-bay came to life.

"Vault to Lieutenant Kilstone. We have a problem down here, sir!" the guard in the vault notified Kilstone.

"Kilstone, here. I read you. What's going on?" Kilstone probed.

"The portal device is registering some sort of interdimensional wave. Readings are off the scale! Contact in ten seconds!" the guard updated, at that point, Kilstone switched to base-wide communications.

"All hands, brace for impact!" Kilstone ordered. Everyone scrambled to get ready for the collision. When it did, the building was rocked to some degree, jostling everyone around a bit. When it subsided, Kilstone was the first on his feet. "Damage report," Kilstone requested.

"The portal in the vault initiated an emergency shutdown prior to impact. We're working to get it back online now," the vault guard responded.

"There was some minor damage to the communications array as well as external sensors. We're taking those offline for repairs," Albert's yeoman added.

"Do we know what that was?" Kilstone asked, not quite sure himself. The yeoman was checking the cameras when she saw what happened after the wave hit. She saw it, yes, but she was having difficulty believing what it was she saw.

"Sir, I think you should look outside. The view will answer your question and bring up thousands of new ones," the yeoman suggested. Baffled by this answer, Kilstone stepped outside and what he saw shocked him to his very core. The sky was not the typical blue anymore, but a purplish hue, not to mention the aurora borealis, and he was certain those planetoids in the sky weren't there before. Not to mention the flora and fauna now present within the base's immediate vicinity was definitely not from Earth. Some of it was, others most surely not. Kilstone hurried back inside.

"I don't care how you do it. Get the captain back here, NOW!" Kilstone demanded.

"The portal is still offline, sir," the vault guard briefed.

"Update from the repair crew, they are ready to bring communications back online," the yeoman added. As soon as base communications were restored, the monitors all came to life, each with a different world leader, the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Queen, who had been summoned to the House of Commons in an emergency session, following the incident, to name a few. They all spoke, or rather, yelled, at once, asking one question; what just happened?

"I have been getting reports of merpeople swimming in the Thames, dragon/motorcycle hybrid things circling the Tower of London and Stonehenge has completely collapsed!" the British Prime Minister ranted.

"Not to mention Buckingham Palace now has a moat filled with a weird alligator species I've never seen before. I do hope this isn't your doing," the Queen added.

"I hope so, too. I did not agree to carry on keeping your secret after the assassination of my predecessor at the hands of that flying triangle only to be stuck with this mess," the President said.

"We're trying to figure this out ourselves, Madam President. Captain Albert is currently away on assignment, but once he returns, I will make him aware of this development," Kilstone assured.

"Development is not the word I would use, more like a catastrophe! I will be making my way there, along with the rest of the Round Table," the President resolved, her mood not changing. Kilstone was struggling to cope. True, he had led the Institute before, but this was something he was not prepared for. He took a deep breath, then proceeded to carry on with his work, saying to himself that Albert would press on no matter what, and so should he. Just then, a portal opened up and Albert and Monogram stepped out of it. Kilstone did take note of Albert's half-moon cheek marks, but there was no time to ask about them. After all, there were more pressing concerns.

"Sir, you might want to take a look outside. We have a massive problem," Kilstone said nervously.

"Why, what is it?" Albert asked. When he went outside, he immediately found his answer. The sky was not your typical blue and cloudy, more like the purplish hue Albert was somewhat familiar with and he could've sworn he saw two planetoids in that same sky. Albert recognised the environment right away, but if he didn't see it for himself, he would've had trouble believing it.

"Major, welcome to Mewni," Albert said in sheer disbelief to Monogram, who was having trouble keeping it together. As if that wasn't enough, Monogram also noticed something different about Albert.

"What happened to your cheek marks?" Monogram probed, noticing that Albert's half-moon cheek symbols had vanished. Albert then tried casting some spells, to no avail. Somehow, not only did Earth and Mewni become fused, but Albert's powers were gone too.

"I think I know who's responsible for this," Albert noted. Albert activated a prototype interdimensional communicator in his pocket which emitted a strong signal. "I hope he gets this. We'll need him" Albert added.

"Who are you calling at a time like this?" Monogram wondered.

"Someone who has experience in saving the world, although I'm not sure what he would make of this," Albert answered. Albert was surveying the monitors, watching what was happening all around the globe. He did not know how, but Earth and Mewni have fused together.

"How the hell did this happen?" Albert asked impatiently.

"That is what every world leader around the globe is asking Excalibur and I have no idea what to tell them. We don't even know what happened ourselves," Kilstone replied.

"We know that's Mewni out there, so Star has to be connected in some way. Have her brought to me. I have questions for her," Albert ordered.

"No need, we'll take care of it," came a voice from across the way. It was the President of the United States, along with Congressman Lock and the rest of the members of the Round Table.

"What are they doing here?" Albert inquired.

"They came as soon as it happened" Kilstone responded.

"Mind telling me what the President and several important-looking people are doing in your HQ?" Monogram inquired.

"This is the Round Table, a cadre of senators and congresspeople that knew of Excalibur since its inception and have kept our secret in exchange for the power to keep us in check," Albert explained. The Round Table's interest in this matter and their eagerness to speak to Star meant one thing to Albert, Star was in trouble and a lot of it.

"Corn help her," Albert said to himself. He retreated to his office, where he decided to contact Major Smith, rather than wait on him to call with orders. Sure enough, the disguised voice and likeness of Major Smith appeared.

"I think I can guess why you're calling," Smith started the conversation.

"The Round Table has been convened. They're looking to blame Star Butterfly for this fusion of our worlds," Albert replied.

"I can hardly blame them. I have questions for her, myself," Smith agreed.

"What are you saying, Major? Should we let them bring Star in?" Albert queried.

"We need the facts and she will most likely have answers. I will try and reason with the Round Table, see if I can persuade them not to make Star or any of her family into scapegoats. The first priority is to make sure the public doesn't panic. There will be time to play the blame game later," Smith summarised.

"Do we even know who is to blame?" Albert asked.

"If public chatter is to be believed, most of the populace blames Excalibur for this, others fear this could be a sign of Bill's return. Everyone is on edge. Tread carefully, Captain," Smith cautioned.

"About Bill, we need to have a discussion about him as soon as possible," Albert stated. Smith sighed.

"You don't have to tell me. In some ways, I feared this was inevitable. But there will be time to discuss what we are going to do about him later. Right now we have more pressing concerns," Smith assured.

"Understood. I'll keep you informed," Albert concluded and terminated the call. He sank into his office chair and lamented recent events. Between Bill's return and the fusion of Earth and Mewni, it felt like everything was falling apart around him.

"Star, what did you do?" Albert wondered to himself.

Since the very beginning of Earth's fusion with Mewni, Echo Creek was designated ground zero for the phenomena. No-one knew what to make of it. Even the denizens of Echo Creek, who were used to magic considering how much time Star spent there, even before Earth and Mewni were joined together. Since meeting back up again, Star and Marco had taken up residence back at the Diaz household. To their credit, Rafael and Angie Diaz took the situation in stride, after hearing the story behind what Star felt was the necessary steps to destroy magic. The 'cleave', as they put it, was a complete accident, and neither Star nor Marco had any real explanation for it. The two were going to meet up with Tom and Janna, who were at the newly rebuilt Britta's Taco's joint.

"So, Star, how are you doing adjusting to a life without magic?" Marco asked.

"I admit, I do miss Cloudy carrying my things everywhere I go, but I actually feel as if a massive weight has been lifted. At least now I can finally relax," Star replied.

"Yeah, no lizard men, soul-sucking hybrids or Solarian warriors. It has been rather peaceful," Marco agreed.

"No narwhals. I'll miss the narwhals as well. But without all these looming threats or royal pressures, we can get back to us," Star said flirtatiously at Marco, wrapping her arms around his waist while doing so.

"I think I like the sound of that," Marco flirted back. Whilst the two made out, they failed to notice Tom and Janna standing a few feet away from them. It was only when they finished that Tom cleared his throat to alert the two to their presence. Blushing profusely, Star and Marco separated.

"Did we miss anything good?" Janna teased.

"No, not really," Star responded, rather embarrassed.

"The place looks good. They really brought new life back into this joint," Marco said nervously, trying to change the topic of conversation.

"Are you talking about Britta's Tacos or the entire world? I have to admit, the fusion of two worlds and destroying magic would not have been my first solution to the whole Mina problem," Tom confessed.

"Say what you want, I really dig it. Finally made Echo Creek interesting," Janna complimented.

"You really outdid yourself this time, Star," came a voice all recognised. It was Jackie, who was also on her way to Britta's Tacos with her companion Chloe. "Bringing two dimensions together. Can't help but think that's a little bit symbolic of you and Marco," she added.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, but in a way, I'm glad it did," Star said.

"Are we gonna chit-chat all day, or are we getting some grub. I'm starving," Janna called out. Star, Marco, Jackie, and Chloe went to join them. They had just finished placing their orders when Marco's phone went off.

"Probably my mum calling me to read Mariposa a bedtime story over the phone. I'll just be a minute," Marco excused himself and took the call. "Hello? Oh hey D- what? Who the heck is the Round Table? They want to what? But it's not even- Uh-huh, uh-huh. I'll get her there safe," Marco told the caller and hung up. He approached Star with a look of fear in his eyes.

"We have to go, now," Marco told Star bluntly.

"What, our food just got here," Star countered.

"There's no time! They want to- oh no, they're already here!" Marco argued, spotting a suspicious black van approaching the diner and seeing two men in suits talking into earpieces coming out of it.

"Who's already here? What's going on, Marco?" Star quizzed.

"No time, let's just go," Marco urged, took Star's hand and led her away.

"What was all that about?" Tom wondered. Janna turned around and saw the two agents.

"Probably something to do with them," Janna surmised. Marco continued to lead Star as far away from Britta's Tacos as possible until he spotted a place to hide by the riverbank.

"One more time, what is happening?" Star quizzed.

"Dipper just called. Some collection of bigwigs called the Round Table are looking for someone to blame for all this and all fingers are pointed at you. We need to get to an Excalibur safehouse before they catch us," Marco explained, gasping for breath after running for a good half a mile with Star in tow. Star immediately started to go into panic mode.

"If they're looking to blame me, they'll probably start pointing fingers at Moon and Eclipsa too. We need to warn them," Star resolved.

"Agreed, we should split up to get to them faster. I'll go to Eclipsa, you get to your mum" Marco suggested.

"OK, I'll call ahead," Star offered, but Marco snatched her phone and threw it away, along with his own.

"They'll be able to trace those. We have to go dark. That means no phone, no internet, nothing that can be traced. We also can't go home either, since they'll probably have lookouts there. From now on, we're off the grid," Marco outlined.

"Good luck, love" Star wished. The two kissed briefly before going their separate ways after checking that the coast was clear. Marco had given Star the location of the Excalibur safehouse that Dipper gave him and both resolved to meet each other there and not to try and make contact for any reason. If one was caught, they wouldn't compromise the other.

Elsewhere, in an abandoned building on the seedier side of town, a meeting of a collection of individuals known as the True Patrons of Earth, a group formed in the wake of the fusion, was underway. The group comprised of solely human members and their mission statement was to free the planet from what they thought was the grip of monster-kind, by any means necessary.

"I call the first meeting of the True Patrons to order. I want to thank all of you for being here," called the Head Patron Patrick Claymore. A tall, muscular man with questionable tattoos on his arms, Patrick had a long history, or to use the actual term, rap sheet, of 'dealing' with what he considered interlopers. Safe to say, society wasn't his biggest fan. In fact, he was on a prison transport about to serve a hefty sentence for hate crimes when the event happened, wrecking the transport and enabling his escape. He, along with other like-minded prisoners eluded their captors and issued the call to arms through the usual back channels.

"Now we have a name and goals, do we have a plan?" asked another escapee, Ryan Simpson, Patrick's right-hand man. Ryan was smaller in comparison, with a slouch and a weasely demeanor. His rap sheet was similar to Patrick's.

"All things in time, comrade. Right now, we need to know what we're dealing with. These monstrosities are walking our streets, our parks, our highways. We'll need weapons, transport, and information or we'll be easy pickings when the glorious war to reclaim our world starts," Patrick calmed the crowd, who were echoing similar sentiments to Ryan.

"The sooner, the better. I wake up to find walking frog people on my street? Unthinkable!" yelled one attendee.

"And the President has the gall to insinuate that we should live peacefully with these….THINGS side by side? What, is she high? I will NEVER share space with those creatures. I would die first!" vowed another attendee, to cheers of 'hear, hear' and 'darn right'.

"They need to be wiped out like the scum they are!" resolved another attendee.

"I couldn't agree more," came a voice no-one recognised. They turned around to see a woman dressed as a warrior of sorts, sporting battle armor no-one had ever seen before. Despite the pigtails, she gave off the vibe that she would do battle with the rest of them against these invaders. She was accompanied by a short man who, quite frankly, looked like the court jester straight out of a Renaissance fair.

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but who exactly are you?" inquired Patrick.

"My name is Mina Loveberry, and this is my aide, Manfred. I've been fighting those monsters for 300 years in the service of Queen Solaria. I'm something of an expert in monster-slaying," Mina bragged.

"Forgive me for saying so, but you don't exactly look like a great warrior, and to say you've lived for that long is a very tall claim to be making," observed Ryan.

"True, my powers may have disappeared with the destruction of magic, but what I know about waging war with monsters and my experiences still remains intact. You said yourself you need information. I can teach you how to kill monsters, but weapons are something you'll have to get yourself," Mina offered. Everyone in the meeting was discussing what she had to say amongst themselves. Yes, the claim that she is 300 years old was ridiculous, but if she really did have the know-how to teach them how to fight this enemy, it was worth giving her a shot. Patrick approached Mina and eyed her carefully.

"You say you can teach us how to fight these things. Great, where do we sign up? I have one concern, however, what's in this for you?" Patrick probed.

"I only ask a couple of things. One, that you show me how to use your Earth weapons. I regret that I am unfamiliar with them and two, that you leave Eclipsa, the biggest monster smoocher you'll ever know, her monster king husband and their freak spawn to me. I have unfinished business to settle with them," Mina replied. Patrick thought about this. He turned to the other attendees, who all nodded in agreement. He turned back to Mina and outstretched his hand for her to shake.

"Deal," Patrick resolved and the two shook hands to their new alliance.

Author's note: I should probably explain why this took so long. Well, part of it comes from the fact that writing what is essentially a hate group is really uncomfortable for me, but I wanted to put Mina in here somehow and this is the only way I saw to do it. The other part comes from a severe case of writer's block on my part. I really struggled to find a way to convey a new world to the reader while making it as realistic as possible. But, now that I have the groundwork, I hope to have frequent updates, but don't hold me to that. I'm also going to hold off expressing how much I hated the ending to 'Cleaved' because everyone else has done that already. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, SVTFOE belongs to Daron Nefcy and Disney. Enjoy.


	2. Escalation

**Escalation**

Having lost Star and Marco at Britta's Tacos, the agents of the Round Table decided to stake out the Diaz household, hoping that Star or Marco would make an appearance there. They had been there for three hours and neither had shown up. Patience was running thin. The two agents codenamed Vox and Nemo were discussing their next course of action.

"It's pretty obvious they're not going to return here. Considering that Marco was on his phone before they bolted, it's clear they were tipped off about us," Vox theorised.

"What else can we do? We tried pinging their phones and found them on the side of the road. They must've tossed them before disappearing into the wind," Nemo replied.

"We could talk to the parents, see what they know," Vox suggested.

"What about Star's relatives?" Nemo wondered.

"Queen Moon? The Table made it clear that we were to avoid contact with Mewmans and monsters at any cost, to avoid a potential diplomatic incident. If we can find the pair without going there, we should," Vox reminded.

"I'm ready when you are," Nemo acknowledged, and the pair left their vehicle to knock on the Diaz house front door. Rafael Diaz answered.

"May I help you, gentlemen?" Rafael inquired.

"Agents Vox and Nemo, Round Table. We need to speak to your son, Marco. He, along with Star, are persons of interest in the fusion event investigation," Vox explained. This got Rafael very suspicious.

"He's not here, and he's not answering his phone either," Rafael responded.

"You mean this one?" Nemo asked and presented Marco's phone. Now Rafael was getting worried.

"Where did you get that?" Rafael asked.

"Found it on the side of the road. We think Marco ditched it after he ran away from us with his girlfriend in tow," Vox answered. Angie, who had been listening in after coming downstairs from putting Mariposa down for the night, decided to join the conversation.

"Now why would Marco do that?" Angie probed.

"From what we could gather, he was warned we were coming by an unknown party," Nemo replied.

"I don't understand. Is Marco in some sort of trouble?" Rafael asked.

"Our bosses just have questions for him and Star regarding the current state of affairs and how two dimensions came to be fused together, that's all," Nemo assured.

"Well, you're barking up the wrong tree. Star and Marco told us everything that happened leading up to this and, I can assure you, this is not their fault," Angie asserted.

"We never said it was. If you know something that may help their case, it would be wise to share it with us," Vox advised. Both Rafael and Angie thought about this, then decided to let the agents into their home.

"First things first, we have no clue where Star and Marco are now, but if you still want to hear the story, then make yourselves comfortable. This will take a while," Rafael offered.

"We're listening," Vox said in acknowledgment.

On the outside, Marco was doing his best to keep off the main streets and ducking into as many alleyways and shortcuts as he could in an effort not to be seen by any sort of authority figure. He allowed himself to blend into crowds since all those hours of playing Assassin's Creed taught him how to hide in plain sight, although he still had to keep his hood up to avoid being pinged by CCTV cameras. He was almost at the monster temple where Eclipsa, Meteora, and Globgor resided when he spotted a group of similarly suspicious individuals head into a nearby abandoned warehouse. Curious, he followed them in. Managing to avoid being seen, he spotted several strangers, as well as one figure he knew all too well.

"OK, Mina. You wanted to learn how to use our weapons, so we set up something small for you. Got to learn to walk before you can run. I know you're eager to slay some monsters, but you're no good to us in a firefight if you don't know your way around firearms," Patrick outlined.

"These look nothing like the weapons we had on Mewni. They look meaner than our crossbows," Mina observed.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway, we're starting with pistol fire. This is your standard sidearm. It comes with a holster you put on your belt. All you need to do is reach for it with your dominant hand and draw it within a second when you need to," Patrick explained.

"And about actually using it?" Mina inquired.

"I knew I liked you. You better put these on first. They can get pretty loud," Patrick instructed and handed Mina a pair of ear protectors. She put them on, as did Patrick and the others.

"OK, now that your ears won't start ringing, we'll go through shooting step by step. First, point the weapon at the targets we've set up, but don't pull the trigger just yet," Patrick guided. Mina did so, but as she gripped the weapon, she felt her arm go slightly off-balance.

"Not to worry, this is normal for first-time shooters. Try using both your hands to grip the weapon and keep your arms as still as possible," Patrick assured. Mina again did so and found aiming a little easier.

"Now, breathe in, focus, breathe out and squeeze gently," Patrick walked Mina through aiming the weapon. Mina did this in that order and fired her first shot. She managed to hit a chest section of the target.

"Not bad for your first shot. Let's see what you can do on your own," Patrick suggested. Mina was having a ball shooting various weapons. Patrick had taught her how to handle various sidearms and even let her have one go at a semi-automatic weapon. Marco, who had seen all this from his viewpoint, was nervous and afraid of what this could mean. Mina was unstable enough using Solarian swords. With human weapons, she could cause some serious damage. He wanted to call authorities, but he had no phone and he was afraid doing so would alert the Round Table to his location.

"That's enough for one day. Any more and the cops will come down on us like a ton of bricks, then the whole plan is ruined," Patrick concluded the exercise.

"Then I guess it's time to fulfill my end of the bargain. I believe I owe you some monster killing lessons for your Patrons. Don't worry, I have a plan for you right here," Mina replied. Patrick had gathered the other patrons and Mina began her lectures on the various species of monsters and their weaknesses. The patrons took notes eagerly, both physically and mentally, preparing themselves for the war to come.

"For the most part, monsters can be taken down with a simple bullet to the head. Not these guys," Mina outlined. She took out a diagram of an anthropomorphic lizard. "These are Septarians. As close to invincible as you can get, Septarians can regenerate from any wound. I've seen some lose entire limbs and grow them back without so much as flinching. We'd need to destroy their bodies completely and utterly, leaving nothing behind," Mina explained.

"We could try using chemical weapons or bio-agents. It's messy, but if it gets the job done," a patron suggested.

"Interesting suggestion, make a note of that," Patrick noted.

"One final thing. Watch out for size-shifters. Nastiest of the bunch. The monster king is a size-shifter. They're able to, as the name suggests, change their size at will. They can grow as big as one of your skyscrapers or shrink down to the size of an ant, so be wary. Any questions?" Mina concluded the lecture.

"Yeah, who's that kid up there? The one in the red hoodie," one patron asked, having taken that moment to look up and see Marco. Mina and the other patrons looked up as well. Realising that he had been spotted, Marco instinctively ran for the exit.

"After him!" Patrick ordered. Marco tried to escape, but the patrons were up the stairs and on him before he could get to the door. He didn't fancy his chances at jumping down to ground level either. Before long, the patrons had him. He was brought to Patrick and Mina, who recognised him straight away.

"Hmmmm, Marco Diaz, is it? Fate has been kind to us, patrons. This one was present when our two worlds came together. We owe this group's existence to him and his little girlfriend," Mina taunted.

"Newsflash, crazy lady. Star and I were trying to bring monsters and mewmans together, not wage war like you're planning," Marco rebuffed, earning groans of disgust from the patrons.

"Us, live with monsters? Blasphemy!" Ryan exclaimed.

"What would you have us do next? Mate with them? Inconceivable!" Patrick said with disgust.

"Try telling Eclipsa that, see what she thinks," Marco taunted.

"Don't worry, I will!" Patrick responded.

"Remember our agreement," Mina reminded.

"I haven't forgotten, she along with her family are yours to deal with. I just want to look at the face of someone who would actually have children with those….things," Patrick assured Mina.

"They're not things. They're people like you and me, probably just as lost and confused about this situation as any human or mewman would be," Marco countered.

"You shut up unless you want to meet the same sticky end we plan to give every monster on this new world," Patrick threatened.

"The only monster I see is the one in front of me," Marco goaded.

"Get him out of my sight before I do something I'll regret," Patrick told one of the patrons and they led Marco to an adjacent empty room where they sealed him inside.

Back at Echo Creek, Star was nervous about walking the streets. Normally, this wouldn't bother her that much, but with the Round Table after them, she didn't know if the passing police vehicles were looking for her or just patrolling. Eventually, she got so paranoid she tried to avoid the main roads as much as possible. She was lucky not to have any major run-ins with authorities, but she was scared that would not last long. She found Moon's community, which had been merged with a park when the cleaving occurred, without too much difficulty. Star found her mum resting in her tent. Moon was surprised, but delighted, to see her daughter.

"Star, what brings you here? I thought you'd decided to live with the Diaz family," Moon inquired. Since Moon had worked with Mina to take back her throne, Star and Moon's relationship was slowly rebuilding, but both decided that Star should live with Marco's family to ease tensions.

"It's a long story and I don't have a lot of time. Suffice it to say, I along with Marco are being hunted. There's this group called the Round Table looking to make us scapegoats for the current predicament," Star explained. Moon was shocked at this revelation.

"I had anticipated such a negative reaction from this world's governments to the current situation, but nothing like this. Do you know who this 'Round Table' lot are?" Moon asked.

"Beats me. All I know is that Marco got a call telling us to go to this Excalibur safe-house and that all would be explained there. We split up to better lose our pursuers. I don't know where he is now," Star answered.

"That must be very distressing for you. Marco is a capable lad. I'm sure wherever he is now, he's safe and sound waiting for you," Moon assured.

"Thanks, mum. I came here to warn you that the Round Table may come after you as well. Marco went to warn Eclipsa," Star added.

"I see, well, as much as I appreciate the warning, I am a little hesitant to trust Excalibur, considering its leader," Moon said bluntly.

"What, why? Albert helped us defend Butterfly Castle from Toffee," Star replied.

"Firstly, Star, that's not who he really is. His real name is Lunaro the Healer," Moon responded.

"You mean the fallen prince who fell to darkness and waged war on all monsters at the expense of the Mewman kingdom? That was a thousand years ago, how is he still around?" Star wondered.

"Most likely kept alive by Bill in the Realm of Nightmares after his downfall, but no-one knows for sure. For all we know, he sent the Round Table after the two of you and wants to lead you into a trap," Moon theorised.

"Paranoid much. Besides, even if it is a trap, what other option do we have?" Star countered. Moon could not think of another plan. Ideally, she would have Star hide with her until the whole thing blew over, but given the severity of the situation, moving seemed like the better option.

"Fine, but we'll have to travel incognito, which means no overtly identifying features. That means your long, flowing hair Star," Moon suggested.

"You are not giving me a haircut," Star dismissed.

"I wasn't going to. Give me a few seconds," Moon replied and styled Star's hair into a bun. No longer did her hair flow to the ground. Instead, she could pass for a regular human girl. Star was not impressed.

"I look ridiculous," Star objected.

"It's only temporary. You'll also need these," Moon added and produced a long cloak with a hood from her wardrobe. "You can wear this to keep hidden," Moon outlined. After leaving the yurt in River's care, Moon and Star set off for the safe-house Star mentioned.

Back at the abandoned warehouse, Marco was looking for an escape route, but the room the Patrons had him sealed in offered no such route. All there was is a window, but it was too high up and Marco did not like his odds of successfully scaling the wall. Just then, a figure opened the door and walked through it.

"Did I hear Miss Pigtails right? Your name was Marco Diaz?" the figure asked.

"What of it?" Marco retorted.

"Do you know the name Rafael Diaz?" the figure inquired.

"He's my dad, what's it to you?" Marco rebuffed. The figure took his hood down to reveal a Hispanic-looking man with many of the same features that Marco recognised in his father.

"My name is Pedro Diaz. Rafael is my younger brother," Pedro introduced.

"You expect me to believe that? My uncle died a long time ago, rotting in prison," Marco said with great disbelief.

"I see, so the story still holds up. I have to give witness protection its dues, they really do maintain an effective cover," Pedro praised. Now Marco was really confused.

"Witness protection? What do you mean?" Marco probed.

"I take it your father told you why I was sent away?" Pedro wondered.

"Yeah, you got in with the Cartels, tried to set up a pipeline between Mexico and the US," Marco answered.

"There's a lot you don't know. Let me explain," Pedro said calmly.

Flashback begins

Pedro, along with his Cartel associates were going over the final stages for setting up the cross-border pipeline. The plan was to have Pedro set up in a small town in California called Echo Creek. Nothing of note really happened there, so it was a good spot to slip under the radar of the authorities. It was Pedro's suggestion, as his younger brother moved there a short time ago.

"We know the plan, set up, lay low, move the stuff. No unnecessary risks," the Cartel boss outlined.

"After this, I want out. My brother has a life here and I really want to get back to them," Pedro stressed.

"Don't worry, with the money we'll get from this pipeline, we'll be railing in dough and your debt will be paid. After all, kids in America are flush with cash," the boss assured. That last part got Pedro really wound up.

"Wait, kids?! You said we were just establishing a supply route. You never said anything about dealing to children!" Pedro demanded to know the truth.

"Children, adults, whatever. Buyers are buyers and money is money. Look, pal, you're in too deep. You can't back out now, and this is your only out," the boss implied. Pedro remained silent. He went to Echo Creek, but instead of setting up the other end of the supply route, he instead went straight to the authorities. His boss was wrong, there was another way out. It wasn't desirable, but anything was better than what the Cartels had planned. After turning himself over to the Feds, Pedro told them everything about the plan, the pipeline, the intended customer base, all of it. In exchange, the Feds granted him at least partial immunity and an offer of protection, which he took. He would do time, for sure, but significantly less than what the others would get.

Flashback ends

"What pushers weren't killed in firefights ended up with lengthy prison sentences on both sides of the border. The Feds then staged a fake fight in my prison yard where I was 'killed' for betraying the Cartels. I was allowed to say one last goodbye to Rafael and Angie before leaving in witness protection. You were only a baby at the time," Pedro concluded his story. Marco then saw the mole on his face and realised that he was telling the truth.

"But why are you here now?" Marco asked.

"When I heard Echo Creek was designated ground zero for this fusion event, I had to come down to make sure nothing had happened to you. I found this lot raving on about monster invasions. I have to admit, I fell in with this crowd because I thought one had gotten you or something like that," Pedro confessed.

"What, no. I'm actually on very good terms with the monster king, Globgor, and his wife. I often babysit their daughter alongside my new baby sister," Marco clarified. Pedro laughed at this news.

"Rafael had another baby? He always was a family man," Pedro remarked. "Look, we've got to get you out of here and call whatever passes for law enforcement around here. There's going to be a war," Pedro added.

"No! No authorities. There are people after me and Star. If we alert police, they might find us," Marco cautioned.

"What? What did you do?" Pedro probed.

"They think Star and I are responsible for what happened. They want to turn us into scapegoats," Marco answered. Pedro understood.

"I get it. The world's in a state right now and everyone wants to blame someone. But we still need to warn someone," Pedro conceded.

"I was going to warn Eclipsa before I was caught. If you get me out of here, I can get to the monster temple in time," Marco suggested.

"Right. Follow my lead. I'll get you out," Pedro instructed. He bound Marco's hands together behind his back with rope and led him out.

"Where are you taking him?" a patron asked.

"Boss wanted me to take him outside and leave him for the monsters to take care of. He said that an innocent life claimed by the invaders would lend some validity to our cause," Pedro lied. The patron thought about this.

"Makes sense. Alright, you can go. Hope the monsters don't throw you up too quickly, little boy," the patron taunted. Marco responded by spitting in his face. "Make it quick," the patron urged with disgust. Pedro led Marco out of the warehouse with no further run-ins. Pedro unbound Marco's hands and together they set off for the monster temple and Eclipsa's home.

Mina had retreated to her own room that the patrons had set aside for her. She was getting ready for the battle to come that would start the war to eradicate all monsters once and for all. She looked into the mirror and smiled.

"By Queen Solaria, we will claim victory," Mina vowed. However, when she looked at her reflection, she saw something she hadn't seen before and it worried her. She had noticed a grey hair, several of them, in fact, and she could swear she saw a few wrinkles in her skin. She feared she did not have much time left.

Author's note: I hope everyone had a happy Halloween. For those of you that actually did get trick-or-treaters, I hope you had enough candy. As for me, I didn't get any, so more candy for me. I may be able to get one more chapter out before Pokemon Sword and Shield come out. After I get my copy, I fear I'll be spending most of my time in Galar. I'll try to make time to update this story, but no promises. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, Daron Nefcy and Disney own SVTFOE. Enjoy. I should also add a second disclaimer. When I introduced the Round Table in my Gravity Falls solo story, The Cipher Probe, I had no idea there was a YouTube channel called The Roundtable that covered animation news and theories. I chose the name to keep with Excalibur's Arthurian theme. The agents Vox and Nemo are named after two contributors to that channel.


	3. Calm before the storm

**Calm before the storm**

Marco and Pedro were out of the Patrons building only thirty seconds when a hooded figure approached them. Rather than alerting the others, he held out an open hand, in it contains a set of car keys.

"I don't have time to explain before the others know I'm missing, so just take these and this car, and get to Eclipsa first. If we're lucky, we can avoid a bloodbath," the figure urged.

"Who are you?" Marco inquired.

"And why are you helping us?" Pedro asked cautiously.

"Just call me your unseen friend. Take them and go, quickly," the figured pressed. Pedro took the keys, then he and Marco got into the car the figure was standing behind. Pedro started the car and took off.

"I've never looked a gift horse in the mouth before, but that seemed really sketchy to me," Pedro commented.

"We can think about this later. Right now, we need to focus on getting to the monster temple first," Marco replied.

"Right, saving lives. One question; how do we get to the monster temple?" Pedro probed.

"I'll direct you," Marco offered. Following Marco's directions, Pedro drove towards the temple.

Mina had done well to conceal her rapid aging from the Patrons, but she also had to acknowledge that time was running out. Her aide, Manfred, noticed her leaning into the mirror and knew right away what was wrong. He immediately went to get Mina's anti-aging treatments. While Mina never really cared for outward appearances, Solaria had always preached that an army fights better when its leader is strong, therefore it was imperative that she shows no weakness. Manfred was applying the treatments and examining her more carefully.

"It's accelerating," Manfred observed.

"It's now or never, Manfred. We have to slay the monster king and finish what Solaria started," Mina resolved.

"Even if we accomplish our mission, nothing can save you. You know that, right?" Manfred asked.

"I do. What happens to me doesn't matter. This lot can continue without me, but I must be the one to kill Globgor, Eclipsa, and their spawn," Mina concluded.

"Then we'd better rally the troops," Manfred said, and together, he and Mina addressed the Patrons. However, before either of them could say anything, one Patron ran towards Patrick.

"Bad news, boss. The Diaz kid escaped. One of our own helped him out," the patron informed. Patrick was very distressed at this turn of events.

"If he alerts the authorities, we're sunk. We'll never get to the monster temple if we're fighting cops too!" Patrick ranted.

"All the more reason to accelerate the timetable. We can hunt down the traitor and mow down the monsters in one swift stroke, but we must act now," Mina urged. While Patrick would have liked more time to prepare an attack plan, he knew from experience that things never really went to script. Adaptability was his greatest asset.

"Yes. We must go now. Everything depends on it," Patrick agreed. He turned to address the other Patrons. "Sons and daughters of Earth! The hour of our liberation is at hand! Join me now and together we will reclaim our world!" Patrick boomed and was met with cheers from the Patrons. Ryan, however, was strangely quiet.

"Boss, are you sure this is wise? We could always move the HQ to another location if the fuzz comes knocking," Ryan advised.

"We may never get another chance at this. Better to strike now while the iron is hot," Patrick dismissed. At that point, Ryan thought it best not to argue.

"Do we have any idea who the traitor is, at least?" Ryan inquired.

"No, but whoever it is won't be able to hide for much longer. When I find them, the monsters will be the least of their worries," Patrick assured. This got Ryan a little nervous. Nonetheless, he, Patrick, Mina, and the other Patrons all got into a truck and drove towards the monster temple.

At the Diaz household, Rafael and Angie were finished telling agents Vox and Nemo the same story Star and Marco told them about the circumstances that led to the fusion of Earth and Mewni and the destruction of magic itself. After summarizing the events in their heads, Vox and Nemo had a pretty good idea of why Star thought it was necessary to do what she did.

"Thank you for your co-operation, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. While this information will greatly help Star and Marco's case, our bosses would still like to hear things from their perspective," Vox concluded.

"If they come back here, we'll encourage them to seek you out. But please don't be too hard on them. From the way Star told the story, it really did seem like she had no other choice," Angie requested.

"Don't worry, it's just an inquiry. The Round Table will decide what to do based on the information she gives us," Nemo assured. The two agents left the house and were preparing to go back to base.

"The destruction of magic? I never thought such a thing was possible," Vox said with a bit of wonderment in his voice.

"Look around you. The fusion of our two worlds was thought to be impossible, yet here we are. Such is the strangeness of our lives," Nemo remarked.

"But can we really live in this new world? For the longest time, residents of both Earth and Mewni spent a large portion of their lives not knowing the other world existed. Now they've been thrust into this situation and probably have no idea how to handle it," Vox observed.

"They will adapt, as will we," Nemo responded.

"I know, it's just how they're going to adapt that worries me. What if one side blames the other for this and conflict breaks out?" Vox wondered. It was at that point Nemo spotted something that aroused his suspicion.

"Why would a truck be driving towards the monster temple? As far as I know, they don't have a parking lot," Nemo observed.

"Should we tail them? Find out what's up?" Vox asked. It was at that point that Nemo got a text from HQ. It read the following:

'Be on the lookout for a large truck driving towards the monster temple. It contains a group of armed radicals planning to carry out an attack. Do not approach without back-up. If seen, contact local authorities immediately'

"I'm calling this in. Finding Star and Marco can wait," Vox resolved and, after placing a call with the Echo Creek Police Department, called his boss. "Madam President, we have a new problem," Vox updated.

While walking down the high street, Star and Moon were taking great care not to be noticed. Fortunately, no-one seemed to be paying them any mind. It certainly helped that Mewmans and humans looked very similar. Star could only imagine the looks and stares that the monster populace was getting. However, once or twice, they had to duck into a nearby building to escape the notice of a police car flaring its sirens. This happened, Star noticed, with alarming frequency, but none of the cars so far had noticed them, and they all seemed to be going in one direction.

"I wonder what's gotten the local authorities in such a fuss. I doubt they would expend this much effort to look for you and Marco," Moon said.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't concern us. Come on, the safehouse is only a few blocks from here," Star dismissed. It wasn't until they passed a TV repair store when a news report caught Star's attention.

'Breaking news from Echo Creek. Police have been dispatched to intercept a truck containing what is believed to be a group of armed anti-monster radicals planning an attack on the monster temple. This incident is adding to already high tensions regarding the current crisis. We will bring you more as the story develops.'

"Marco," Star reacted with growing concern and worry for her love.

"I feared something like this would happen. I just hope Eclipsa gets out alright," Moon lamented.

"We have to go warn them," Star resolved.

"But what about the Round Table?" Moon asked.

"Round Table be darned. Marco needs us," Star decided. Moon knew it was best not to argue when it came to Star and Marco. She trusted that the pair would not do anything too rash or reckless, so for the most part, she let them do what they will.

"I don't like our odds against these insurgents without magic," Moon observed.

"I know, but after staying at that temple, I've gotten to know all the secret passages in and out. We can take the sneaky approach," Star suggested.

"Very good," Moon agreed and they changed course for the temple.

Marco and Pedro were almost speeding to the temple when they noticed the news report on the car radio and grew increasingly concerned. Both had some questions.

"How did they find out?" Pedro asked himself.

"Someone must have told them, but who?" Marco inquired.

"Certainly wasn't me. You said people were after you so I didn't call anybody," Pedro responded. Before they had time to think about possible answers, the car was rammed from behind. The truck containing the Patron troops had caught up to them. "Apparently, we're on their hit list now," Pedro remarked. The driver of the truck maneuvered beside the car. The driver, Patrick, rolled down the window and an angry look was on his face.

"You're in my car!" Patrick yelled.

"This heap is yours? It would barely be worth anything at a scrapyard. Maybe I should have it crushed into a cube," Pedro taunted. Patrick screamed, took out his sidearm and fired a couple of potshots at them. This forced the car back a bit, but Pedro, spotting a concealed weapon of his own, probably left for him by the person who enabled him to steal this car, had an idea. He took the gun and aimed it at a piece of the truck's midsection. He took a few shots out of the driver's side window, now shattered thanks to the earlier fire they took, and the truck's cargo carriage slipped off from the back. He then pulled up alongside the bit of the vehicle that was still moving and shot out the tyres.

"Old Cartel trick, useful for hijacking rival shipments," Pedro explained. If he didn't know that his uncle used this as part of his criminal life, Marco would be somewhat impressed. This didn't stop him from cracking a smile. As they sped off towards the temple, they could see and hear police sirens heading their way.

"Better step on it. That may be the Round Table's doing," Marco urged, but thankfully, the cops stopped when they reached the dislodged carriage.

"That should buy us some time," Pedro remarked. Marco's heart was still beating a mile a minute. While he had seen his fair share of monster battles alongside Star, he had never been in a fight involving firearms before. Needless to say, he preferred the former where the only weapons he needed to worry about were his fists and feet. He was also fairly certain that his ears would be ringing for days. After that intense encounter, they made it to the monster temple. The police had surrounded the dislodged carriage and had their weapons drawn. The lead officer took out his bullhorn.

"We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up!" he demanded. After no response came, he spoke into it again. "Final warning, come out or we will force you out!" he repeated. The carriage door was opened and a few smoke grenades were thrown. Using the distraction, Mina and the troops escaped using the cover of the smokescreen. Patrick and Ryan, who were in the vehicle part of the truck, were briefly held at gunpoint until Mina used an old trick to render them unconscious.

"Our fight is not with them. If we kill cops, it'll ruin our credibility," Patrick explained.

"Nevertheless, they may become a problem in the future," Mina countered.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, we focus on the invaders," Patrick resolved. He and Mina knew that Marco and the traitor had a head start, so it was most likely that when they got to the temple, there would be a defence waiting for them.

At the temple itself, Marco and Pedro tried to find Eclipsa. If anyone could rally a defence of the temple, it was her. Despite the age of queens coming to an end, some monsters still called her and Globgor by their royal titles. At first, this put them off, but over time, they embraced a leadership role of sorts, but only over their little domain. They had no delusions that they ruled everything else in this new world. Eclipsa and Globgor were surveying their new surroundings from their window.

"So, this is Marco's world? It's certainly advanced in comparison to our own," Eclipsa observed.

"Certainly a lot of tall, shiny buildings. It makes me wonder how we'll fit in," Globgor added.

"I'm sure we'll be fine, dear. After all, Star was able to do it, so can we," Eclipsa assured.

"Maybe you're right. If Marco is any example, the human race will be warm and welcoming. But what will Meteora make of this new world?" Globgor asked.

"I'm sure she'll have questions when she's older, but for now, let's just enjoy the peace we fought hard for," Eclipsa answered. At that moment, Marco and Pedro came into their room, gasping for breath. "Marco. Well, it's great to see you, but who's this?" Eclipsa probed, noting the presence of a strange man with Marco.

"No time. We came to warn you…" Marco panted.

"There is a group of armed thugs coming your way. You need to get your people to safety," Pedro finished.

"They call themselves the True Patrons of Earth and have declared war on monster-kind, blaming them for the state we're in, and Mina's leading them," Marco explained. While initially confused by this revelation, upon hearing Mina's name, Eclipsa knew right away this could only mean trouble. Before she could do anything, however, two other familiar faces emerged. Star and Moon had come from a hidden entrance.

"Eclipsa, we need to get you and the monsters out of here," Star urged.

"If it's about these Patron people, Marco and his friend already warned us," Eclipsa replied. Star then turned to Marco and embraced him into a tight hug.

"They didn't get to you, did they?" Star probed with deep concern.

"Not too much, but I'm alright Star," Marco alleviated her fears. Pedro noted the two teens' interaction and couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Marco, is this your girlfriend? She's quite the looker, you chose well," Pedro complimented.

"Why, thank you for speaking that way about my daughter," Moon jabbed back sarcastically. Pedro immediately regretted his choice of words.

"I, uh, meant no offence, ma'am. I was merely pointing out that Marco has good taste," Pedro retracted.

"Who is this guy?" Star asked.

"Oh right, this is my uncle Pedro. Pedro, meet Star, my girlfriend, and Moon, her mother," Marco introduced.

"Charmed," Moon seethed.

"Wait, didn't you tell me he was the black sheep of your family?" Star inquired.

"It's a long story and we don't have time for it. The Patrons could be here any minute," Marco dismissed.

"I'll sound the evacuation," Globgor said with a degree of urgency in his voice, but as soon as he moved to action, screaming could be heard from below. Eclipsa could see monsters being herded from their homes by the same armed thugs she had been warned about. She could also see the familiar pigtails of Mina.

"Too late, they're already here," Eclipsa pointed out. As she saw, Mina was helping the Patrons round up all the monsters.

"That's right, run. Run back to the Forest of Certain Death," Mina ranted. This caused the Patrons some concern, as the Forest of Certain Death was already noted to be in the Tri-State Area, nowhere near Echo Creek.

Author's note: I'm so sorry this took so long. Between a recent work contract I had, blitzing through Pokemon Sword, not knowing how this was going to go half the time, and generally feeling demotivated to write, I barely had time to conceptualize and work on this chapter. Fortunately, I have a very good outline as to the remaining chapters. That, combined with my desire to move on to my other projects, should speed this story along, though again, I make no promises. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, SVTFOE belongs to Daron Nefcy and Disney. Enjoy.


	4. The last warrior

**The last warrior**

As Eclipsa, Globgor and the others looked on in horror as the monster civilians were being dragged out of their homes at gunpoint and rounded up, Eclipsa took action to ensure Meteora was kept safe and unseen by the marauders. Globgor wanted to get out there and defend his people, but Marco pointed out that doing so would play into their agenda of starting a war between humans and monsters.

"But they are my people. What sort of king would I be if I just let this happen?" Globgor argued.

"These people are convinced that monsters have invaded our world. They'll use any excuse they can to convince our governments to commit an even bigger army in the name of defence," Marco reasoned.

"He's right, you know. We can probably get a message out to the authorities of this world petitioning them for aid. Most likely they'll disavow this group as a rogue element," Moon added.

"I think we won't have to worry about that, mum," Star chimed in. They spotted what looked like blaring sirens in the distance, all converging on the temple.

"Looks like the cavalry's arrived, and not a moment too soon," Pedro commented.

"They'll be too late to save you," came a voice from behind. In all the commotion, Patrick managed to get into the temple, with Mina's help.

"I take it you're the one in charge?" Eclipsa probed.

"Me? Call me a patriot doing my civic duty," Patrick answered.

"I'd rather call you something else, but there are kids present," Pedro chided. Moon, however, was more interested in Mina. She couldn't help but notice that something was off about her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There was no time to dwell on this, though, as Moon had an idea.

"Mina. I know you have served generations of Butterflies and even fought at my side against monster-kind. I am now ordering you, as your queen, to stand down," Moon commanded. Mina laughed instead.

"Cute, but the only queen I serve is Solaria, and she's going to be very happy I managed to slay the monster king. Might even reward my new friends with places in her army, should I put in a good word," Mina retorted. This had everyone except Patrick very confused.

"Mina, my mother has been dead for 300 years," Eclipsa responded.

"Ridiculous! The Solarian war effort remains very much alive and well, and I look forward to celebrating this latest victory with my fellow warriors," Mina rebutted.

"They're all dead, too. They destroyed themselves because of the horrific spells Solaria put on them," Moon stated.

"Lies! If anyone is to blame for magic gone awry, it's her," Mina accused, pointing a finger at Eclipsa.

"OK, so my spells may have been somewhat unconventional, but they never went seriously wrong," Eclipsa said defensively.

"You were also careless! You left the Magic Book of Spells in a stable, for crying out loud!" Mina yelled.

"That was my uncle, Jushtin. The Solarian war effort didn't exist back then," Eclipsa said.

"Not to mention that she accidentally created that time loop that trapped us in the same day for five years!" Mina ranted.

"Ancient history. Mina wasn't even born," Eclipsa explained.

"She even erased the memories of the first settlers of Mewni!" Mina continued on her tirade.

"I have no idea what she's talking about now," Eclipsa concluded. Mina's ramblings left everyone scratching their heads.

"Oh, man. Will someone please tell me what's going on here? When did our monster expert suddenly have a few screws loose?" Patrick asked.

"A few screws loose? She lost all her marbles a long time ago, pal," Star sassed off to Patrick.

"It doesn't matter. I need to finish the mission, and I'll start with her," Mina resolved. She spotted Meteora, who had managed to crawl in un-noticed. She got out her sidearm and aimed it at the baby. On instinct, Marco got between Mina and Meteora, but the shot was never fired. Mina, it seemed, had trouble keeping her weapon steady. She could feel herself getting weaker.

"Oh, for goodness sake, if you can't do it, I will," Patrick interjected.

"I don't think so," came another voice from behind. Ryan had emerged from the back and had his weapon aimed at Patrick.

"You're betraying the Patrons? You, my right hand?" Patrick queried; his expression one of disbelief.

"Oh, please, I was never one of you. I have other masters. Allow me to re-introduce myself. Agent Ryan Simpson, Excalibur Institute," Ryan answered.

"Oh, great, you people again," Star groaned.

"Wait a minute, weren't you people the ones behind that wackjob Bill's invasion?" Patrick interrogated.

"Er, no, we tried to prevent that. Nor are we responsible for this mess," Ryan replied.

"Hold on, did you give us the keys to the car we stole?" Marco realised.

"Yes. I have my orders from Major Smith himself. He wanted me to keep an eye on you and keep the Round Table off your back until you got to the safe house. But when we got word of this lot making plans for an attack, I had to improvise. Even had a criminal record forged to make me look convincing. I actually planned on rescuing you myself, Marco, but by the time I managed to slip away to your 'room' you had already left," Ryan outlined.

"How did you know we were going to do this?" Patrick questioned.

"We have eyes and ears everywhere. That doesn't change because an entire other dimension has fallen on top of us," Ryan responded.

"OK, so you lot aren't responsible for the world being a mess. But that doesn't change the fact that monsters are roaming our streets, living on our land. We have to fight back," Patrick conceded. Star chose this moment to step forward.

"This is not an invasion of your world. All this came to pass because I made a choice, one that tied both our worlds together," Star began.

"Star, please. You can't reason with men like him," Marco cautioned.

"No, Marco. I'm done running. I have to face up to what I've done. When Mina did this the first time, I was so desperate and stressed out that I came up with the idea to destroy the Realm of Magic. The fusion of our two worlds was a result of that decision, so if you want to blame anyone for the situation we're in now, blame me," Star exposited. Moon also stepped forward.

"I must accept some responsibility as well if not all of it. If I hadn't enabled Mina to go on her rampage on Mewni, your decision would never have been necessary. You, me, Eclipsa and Globgor would've finished her there and then and this would never have happened. The High Commission and I were wrong to work with Mina and to try and usurp Eclipsa's rightful rule. I could say sorry a thousand times and it still wouldn't be enough. As a queen, I have to keep all my people safe. As a mother, I have to set a good example for my daughter, and I failed on both counts," Moon sadly explained.

"Fine, but I promised Mina she could execute Eclipsa, Globgor and their child on a public stage, and I hate to disappoint," Patrick goaded. Marco then had an idea. A desperate idea, but it was the best he had. He just hoped it would work. He took Meteora outside to face the Patrons, who were looking on in curiosity.

"Well, well, well. Looks like your nephew wants to make this easier for me. I have no objections. This should be fun," Patrick taunted.

"Marco, what are you doing?" Pedro inquired, confused as to what Marco was planning.

"Taking a shot in the dark," Marco answered. Once he and Meteora were in front of the crowd of Patrons, Marco addressed them all. The authorities, who had caught up to the Patrons, were also curious as to where this was going.

"You came here to repel an invasion, but ask yourselves, while you were breaking into their homes and rounding them up for summary executions, did they once fight back? Did these monsters, whose lives you are now threatening, make any moves at all to encroach upon your homes and usurp your rulers?" Marco began his speech, which got the Patrons talking amongst themselves.

"Now I want you to ask yourselves who the real monsters are in this scenario. Them or you? I get it, this new world scares you, and you're probably looking for someone or something to blame. It's easy to act irrationally out of fear and anger or to listen to one who claims to have all the answers without asking questions, but is this really what you want?" Marco added. The crowd talk intensified. Marco then held up Meteora for everyone to see.

"Look into this baby girl's face and tell me she deserves to die. Can you honestly tell me that killing cute little things like this is what you signed on for?" Marco concluded. One patron immediately lowered his weapon.

"Patrick! Child murder is not what I signed up for! That baby is no older than my own kid," the patron asserted.

"You know he's right. Not once did these people raise their weapons against us. This isn't war, it's a war crime," said another patron, who also lowered their weapon. A police officer then reached for his bullhorn.

"Lower your weapons and we can resolve this peacefully!" the officer bargained. Almost at once, the patrons then lowered their weapons and let the monsters go. Patrick was horrified.

"NO! This was supposed to be our glorious retaking of the planet!" Patrick pouted.

"This wasn't 'our' war. This was your misguided, hate-filled crusade and we want no part of it anymore," the first patron responded. Pedro then placed a hand on Marco's shoulder in congratulations.

"I have to hand it to you, that was some speech," Pedro complimented. Patrick then aimed his weapon at Marco.

"You little brat! You've ruined everything! Our world will never be free now, because of you!" Patrick ranted.

"Patrick, it's over now. Lower the weapon and you will not be harmed," Ryan warned. Patrick, however, was not listening.

"For the true Earth!" Patrick yelled and shot at Marco, who shielded Meteora. He did not feel anything, no blinding pain, nothing. He heard two more shots and assumed that Ryan finished Patrick off. When he turned around, he saw, to his horror, that Pedro got in between him and Patrick when he opened fire and took the bullet for Marco, which had hit Pedro square in the chest. Patrick, too, had been shot down, albeit rather more fatally. Eclipsa had rushed over, taking Meteora back. Marco then knelt down beside his uncle, who was lying on his back, bleeding out.

"An ambulance is on its way. He'll be fine," Ryan assured. Pedro then took Marco's hand.

"Looks like I was able to do something right, after all," Pedro panted, struggling for breath.

"No, no you can't die on me now. You haven't met Mariposa yet," Marco pleaded desperately.

"Brother had another one?" Pedro asked.

"My baby sister. She's cute as a button. You'll like her," Marco answered.

"Tell her about me. Promise me she will know who I was," Pedro tearfully requested.

"I will. My word, I will," Marco responded. He could then feel Pedro take his last breath. Marco held his uncle's body, weeping silently for him. He closed his uncle's eyes. Star moved to comfort Marco, but Moon stopped her. Elsewhere, Eclipsa turned to see that Mina had also fallen, but was still alive. Putting two and two together, Eclipsa moved not to strike at her, but to help her up. Mina was looking older and weaker than she did before, hair visibly grey and wrinkles showing on her face. After the ambulance arrived and took Pedro's and Patrick's bodies to the morgue, Marco, Star and the others focused on Mina. Moon immediately figured out what was wrong with Mina.

"It was magic that has kept her alive all these years. Now that it's gone, all the spells that gave Mina her longevity are wearing off one by one. She's been aging rapidly ever since, and judging by how she looks, she doesn't have long," Moon explained. Mina then turned to Eclipsa, not out of hostility, but out of confusion.

"Are you here to help me sell my rags?" Mina inquired. Eclipsa had been told by Solaria that Mina came from humble beginnings, so she assumed that her memory had regressed to the time she spent prior to becoming a Solarian warrior.

"No, in fact, I'm here to tell you you've been promoted to quilts. Come, I'll show you a free sample," Eclipsa replied.

"That sounds delightful, dearie. I always did like the hand-knitted variety," Mina said excitedly. She and Eclipsa went back to their room. Eclipsa had helped a struggling Mina to a chair on a balcony. Mina sat down and Eclipsa got a quilt she had made herself. She lay it on Mina, who rubbed it with her hand.

"Nice and soft. You really are a master of this craft," Mina noticed. She and Eclipsa then looked out into the sky and the most gorgeous sight met their eyes. "I always did love sunsets," Mina added.

"So did I. My mother enjoyed watching them with me as well," Eclipsa reminisced.

"If you don't mind, I might be a while. You go on. I'm sure you have many more quilts to make," Mina suggested.

"Take your time," Eclipsa said and left Mina to watch the sunset. As the last bit of sun went down to greet the night sky, Mina knew peace.

"Beautiful," Mina commented to herself before taking her final breath. The last Solarian warrior died in peace, not battle. Her body then turned to dust and the wind scattered the remains into the air.

"So ends the legacy of Solaria the Monster Carver," Eclipsa noted. Down below, the authorities, with a little arm-twisting from Ryan, decided not to pursue any action against the Patrons, making the point that it was Patrick who ultimately led the group. There was little debate on the matter since the Patrons had agreed to help foster new relations between humans and monsters to ensure this incident was not repeated anywhere else. Marco and Star found each other and embraced deeply. Marco could not help but notice that something seemed different about Star.

"Star, why is your hair in a bun?" Marco asked.

"Believe me, it wasn't my idea," Star responded.

"It looks good like that. You should try it more often," Marco observed.

"Yeah, not likely," Star dismissed the idea. As the police and patrons left the temple, Star and Marco breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, things can get back to normal around here," Star said hopefully.

"Marco Diaz, Star Butterfly," came a voice from across the way. They turned to see Agents Vox and Nemo. In all the excitement of the attack on the temple, Star, Marco, and the others had completely forgotten about the Round Table.

Author's note: I had this part of the story outlined in my head before I had an idea of what I wanted in the previous chapter. I really need to stop doing that. I wanted to give Mina a meaningful end because as I have previously said, the ending to SVTFOE, to me, left a lot to be desired. This may not be the battle everyone expected, but really, swords and arrows against semi-automatic weaponry seems a little one-sided, like that Vader scene from Rogue One. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, Disney owns SVTFOE and Disney. Enjoy!


	5. Trial of the Butterflies

**Trial of the Butterflies**

When Agents Vox and Nemo approached Star and Marco, Marco became aware of the initial reason he had gone to the monster temple in the first place, but with the urgency of the Patron attack, it had completely slipped his mind. Now it was too late and even worse, Star was caught in this mess as well, an outcome he had tried very hard to prevent. Eclipsa had caught up to Star and Marco, having finished giving her statement to authorities.

"Marco, who are this lot?" Eclipsa inquired.

"We're from the Round Table, ma'am, here to pick these two up," Vox answered.

"They were who I initially came to warn you about. It seems the government wants to blame the fusion of our two worlds on Star. We feared they would come after you and Moon as well," Marco explained.

"We spoke to your parents, Marco. We know the circumstances behind the fusion. But our bosses still want to hear your perspective on the matter, and we would like an explanation as to why you ran from us when we first approached you," Nemo added. Marco sighed in defeat.

"I don't have the energy to run anymore. You don't need Star. I was there all throughout the events. Let her go and I'll tell the Round Table everything they want to know," Marco offered.

"No, Marco. I can't let you do this alone," Star objected.

"Star…" Marco began.

"No. I need to do this as well, for two reasons. One, we're in this together, Marco. If you're going with them, then so am I. Two, I meant what I said back there, I need to face up to the consequences of my decision. If that means answering a bunch of questions from this 'Round Table' then so be it," Star interrupted. Marco knew better than to argue with Star when she got like this. Her mind was made up and he knew it. Moon, who had heard everything, stepped forward.

"They'll most likely want to speak to me as well. I too played a role in making the world how it is now. I want to go with Star and Marco to meet this Table," Moon volunteered. Eclipsa also stepped forward to face the agents.

"I was there, too. If the Round Table has questions, I will be more than willing to answer them. Please let me go with them," Eclipsa requested. While the agents' orders were for Star specifically, three extra material witnesses would lend an added understanding of the chain of events leading to the fusion.

"Very well. We'll give you five minutes to arrange suitable care for your daughter, Eclipsa, then we will begin the journey to Excalibur HQ," Vox agreed. Meteora, who was still in Eclipsa's arms, had reached out a hand towards Marco. In some way, Meteora was thanking him for saving her home, while also giving him a comforting hand to hold as he grieved for his lost uncle.

"I think she's finally warming up to you, Marco," Eclipsa commented. Marco then took out the hand she outstretched.

"I'll visit soon, promise," Marco said. Eclipsa then handed Meteora to Globgor to look after while she was away and she, Marco, Star, and Moon were escorted to the agents' car. As gratitude for managing to end the confrontation with the Patrons without violence, they were spared the handcuff treatment. The four were put into a car and driven away from the temple.

At Excalibur HQ, the Round Table, having been notified that they had successfully picked up not only Star but three extra witnesses, were making preparations for the inquiry. The president then turned to Albert, who had just emerged from his office.

"Well, Captain, it looks like we'll both be getting answers. They did give us the slip for a while, but we found them in the end," the president informed. This had Albert very worried. The plan was to get the information out of Star privately then tell the Round Table everything Star told him so they could avoid a big show. Now he will have to re-evaluate his strategy in order to keep Star from being made a scapegoat.

"I hope she has some good explanations for this mess, Madam President," Albert wished.

"For throwing two worlds into disarray? She'd better," the president seethed. Albert then went back to his office to update Major Smith on the latest developments. The anonymised image of Major Smith appeared on his monitor. If he could see his facial expressions, Albert would guess he was not too pleased.

"This turn of events is unfortunate. We'll have to re-assess our plan. Will you be allowed to attend the inquiry?" Major Smith asked. As per usual, the voice was monotone to mask Major Smith's identity.

"It is taking place here, at HQ. As far as I know, the Round Table has allowed me to observe the proceedings, but nothing beyond that," Albert answered.

"That is unusual, even for them. Usually, the meeting place of the Round Table changes every week. Even I don't know where they will gather if they do so at all," Major Smith noted.

"That was when the world was still normal. Now, everything has been flipped on its head. HQ may be the only place they feel safe, secure and in control," Albert guessed.

"That means we will have to tread carefully. Just observe for now, but if they pose questions to you, answer truthfully," Major Smith said.

"You do realise that if asked about why Star and Marco ran from their agents, the answers will lead back to you," Albert reminded.

"Yes, and I am prepared to accept responsibility for that if they so choose to pin blame on me," Major Smith replied.

"Is that wise, Major? After all, the Round Table does know who you really are," Albert warned.

"They would not dare reveal my identity. Doing so would ignite a PR storm even they could not withstand. Times are tense enough as it is without the people jumping at shadows," Major Smith assured.

"If I may say so, that is a really big gamble you're taking," Albert commented.

"I know, but it's one we have to take," Major Smith acknowledged. An alert pinged on Albert's computer.

"They're almost here," Albert observed.

"Good luck to them and you," Major Smith wished and terminated the call.

Throughout the entire car journey to Excalibur HQ, Marco had not uttered a single word to anyone, not even Star. Everyone present knew why. Star wanted to talk to Marco, but couldn't find the right words. Eclipsa decided to be the one to try and ease Marco's pain.

"Marco, he was a good man, your uncle. I'm sorry I never got to thank him for what he did," Eclipsa consoled.

"I spent my entire life vilifying him, hating a man I never knew for crimes I never understood. Now I know he wasn't a villain, but a hero. A hero I've now lost. I was so looking forward to introducing him to Mariposa," Marco said sadly. Eclipsa pulled him into a deep hug while Star held his hand.

"I know, I know," Eclipsa comforted. Marco continued to grieve until Agent Vox broke the tension.

"We're here," Vox pointed out. Seeing that this was probably a bad time, he added, "I could ask the Round Table to give you a few minutes. I realise you've been through a lot these last few hours." Marco composed himself for the trial ahead. He could do more grieving later.

"It's fine. I'm fine, really," Marco declined the kind offer.

"OK, then. Here we go," Nemo gestured and everyone got out of the car. To Marco's surprise, the US President was here, along with several people in suits that he guessed were senators and congresspeople. This was evidently the Round Table. They were led to a conference chamber, where Albert was waiting for them. They all took seats around the perfectly round table. After everyone was comfortable, the president started the meeting.

"Before this inquiry officially starts, Marco, on behalf of the Round Table and the Excalibur Institute, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences on your recent loss. Your uncle helped saved many lives today. I have notified your parents and made arrangements to give him a hero's funeral," the president began. Marco merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"Now that is out of the way, these proceedings can begin. Let's take roll," the president started.

"Congressman Lock, representing the people of the state of Oregon, present," Lock introduced. One by one, the other presiding members of the Round Table introduced themselves. There was Senator O'Connor of California, Secretary-General Ridgeway of the United Nations and Supreme Court Justice Brundle.

"Woah, we are up against some major bigwigs here," Marco thought to himself. President Essery spoke again.

"We are here because we have questions for you, Star Butterfly, pertaining to the current state of the planet, and how our two worlds came to be fused together," Essery stated.

"Now, hold on. Star wasn't the only one present during the events leading up to the Cleave. All of us were there, so ask all of us your questions," Moon interjected.

"Our agents have told us that you would be material witnesses. They have also recommended that the incident at the monster temple should earn you some leniency," Ridgeway responded.

"However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this issue needs to be addressed. The people demand answers and I need to know what I am telling them. So, Star, did you fuse our two worlds together?" Essery asked.

"To truly answer that question, we'd have to go back to the beginning, during Mina's first attack on the temple," Star directed.

"Mina, you mean the anti-monster radical who led the Patrons attack? This isn't the first time she had done this?" Lock queried.

"No, she tried something similar on Mewni, only she was a lot more powerful then," Eclipsa replied.

"Please explain," O'Connor requested.

"Mina was part of a fighting force called the Solarian warriors. My mother could get very creative when it came to empowering her chosen subjects, putting spells on regular people that turned them into monster killing machines," Eclipsa elaborated.

"Only the spells also drove them mad and, one by one, they destroyed themselves. Mina was the sole survivor of the project," Moon added.

"A project you kickstarted once again when you used those same spells to give Mina her new Solarian warriors to try and take my throne," Eclipsa rebutted. Moon winced at this remark, knowing full well that she did indeed try to usurp Eclipsa's rule.

"Wait a minute, you led a coup with this war criminal Mina?" Essery inquired.

"I'm not proud of it. I believed at the time that Mina and the High Commission would've done far worse had I not stepped in. Looking back, I should've fought Mina. Together with Star and Eclipsa, we would've overcome her," Moon answered with regret in her voice.

"You mentioned a High Commission. Could you elaborate on that, please?" Brundle requested.

"The Magical High Commission was a select group of beings that govern all aspects of magic and ensure it is not misused. They also serve the reigning monarch of Mewni," Moon explained.

"Why didn't they step in to stop Mina and this coup?" O'Connor asked.

"They didn't like monsters, or me, that much. So much so that they were willing to commit treason," Eclipsa replied.

"I see, and what was the solution you came up with to stop Mina and her rampage the first time?" Brundle probed. Star spoke this time.

"You have to understand, I was desperate. I didn't see any other way, so I chose to destroy magic," Star replied. When Star said this, Albert finally understood why he couldn't cast any spells upon his re-entry into this world and why his cheek marks disappeared.

"You did WHAT?!" Albert exclaimed.

"Star didn't do it alone. Eclipsa and I helped. We all wanted the age of queens and magic to come to an end and this was the best way we thought to do it. Without magic, Mina would be powerless and the remaining Solarian warriors would be spared the agonising end the previous versions faced," Moon responded. Albert was dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry, but was there really no other way to stop Mina? Why do something that drastic and reckless? Do you even know how many beings rely on magic just to survive? Without it, they're gone for good. Even the High Commission is no more thanks to this," Albert ranted.

"I know, I know, but the alternative would've resulted in a lot of destruction and death," Star remarked.

"And this doesn't? All beings comprised of magic are gone, an entire realm is destroyed and all those with magical powers have had it stripped from them. I'm just thankful we can still travel across dimensions even without dimensional scissors, which were also powered by magic," Albert summarised.

"You, of all people, can't talk to me about the misuse of magic. Refresh my memory, who was it that used Bill's gifts to wage a campaign against all monsterkind? Oh, right, it was you, 'Lunaro'," Star countered.

"Even so, I don't blame magic for what I did in that time and I most certainly wouldn't have destroyed it over that," Albert replied.

"ENOUGH! What happened in the past is irrelevant. Let us get back on track. After destroying magic, what happened next?" Essery asked, bringing the discussion back to the topic at hand.

"We all went home, but Marco and I tried to reunite, but ended up getting stuck in the dying magic realm. A bright light appeared beneath us. We don't know what happened after that, but I woke up on Mewni," Star recounted.

"I woke up on Earth, on a hospital gurney beside the then destroyed Britta's Tacos place. A portal appeared in the sky, I ran toward it and just as I reached it, a shockwave knocked me back. When I got up, boom, two worlds fused together," Marco described.

"Same with me, more or less," Star added.

"So, in regards to the actual merging of Earth and Mewni, neither of you know what really happened nor can you provide any explanation?" Essery inquired.

"We're just as confused about this as you are," Moon replied.

"I think we have a very good idea as to what happened prior. If it pleases this council, I would like to discuss more recent events. Agents Vox and Nemo would still like to know why you decided to run rather than come with them when they first approached you," Lock proposed.

"I'd like to know this too. If you have nothing to hide, why run?" Ridgeway added. Albert stepped up to the plate this time.

"I must admit some culpability in this. When you turned up at HQ wanting to speak to Star, I feared you would turn her into a scapegoat, so I called Major Smith," Albert admitted.

"Wait a minute, I got a call from Dipper warning me of the Round Table, was that your doing?" Marco asked Albert.

"I think we need to talk to Major Smith himself about this, see if he can straighten things out," Essery suggested. She opened a line to Major Smith, who appeared, albeit anonymised, on the conference chamber monitor.

"I was wondering when you would call, Madam President," Major Smith greeted.

"Don't you 'Madam President' me! Did you instruct Star and Marco to go on the run?" Essery scolded. Major Smith sighed in defeat.

"Yes, I did. I thought we could handle the situation without the need for this inquiry. Star is capable of many great things, but I do not believe for a second that she would intentionally bring this level of chaos to any world. As the captain explained, we feared you would look for something or someone to blame for this mess," Major Smith confessed.

"So, you instructed Dipper to warn me," Marco assumed. Major Smith gave this some thought.

"May I?" Major Smith asked President Essery.

"I think under the circumstances, they deserve to know the truth," Essery permitted. Major Smith punched in a few keys that de-activated his anonymous appearance. The image that appeared next shocked Star and Marco to their core. In place of the anonymised Major Smith took the image of Dipper Pines. Marco just sat there with his mouth open in shock.

"Yeah, it's true Marco. Dipper has been running the Institute under the guise of Major Smith since its origins," Albert admitted.

"Though technically, I share the role with my twin sister Mabel. It was she who had the whole 'scapegoating' fears," Dipper added. Marco then did what any sane teenager did when hit with information this unreal. He fainted.

"He took that well," Albert commented. When Marco finally woke up, the meeting continued.

"I take it you have questions?" Dipper posed.

"Why you and Mabel? Couldn't they get someone with more experience, or someone older?" Marco probed.

"We needed someone with experience fighting Bill. Their great-uncles were the most likely candidates, but we couldn't find them, so I offered the role to Dipper and Mabel," Albert answered.

"We both hated lying to you, but secrecy had to be maintained. No-one else knew Bill's tricks better than me, Mabel and our great-uncles. Excalibur needed us. The world needed us," Dipper said remorsefully.

"And we thank you for your service, but next time, if you have these fears, come to us directly. It was never our intention to make anyone a scapegoat. We just wanted answers," Essery assured.

"I never know how to reach you," Dipper replied.

"I'll send you the means to contact my 'Round Table' line. It is un-monitored and your identity will be obscured as per usual," Essery said.

"If there is nothing else, I believe this concludes the proceedings," Lock piped up.

"Actually, there is one more truth to reveal. Star, while I appreciate that you were in a difficult position, I must stress that you did this at the worst possible time," Albert observed.

"What, why? Without magic, there is no-one to misuse it anymore. We can learn to live in this new world together. All is good," Star rebutted.

"Isn't there any way to revitalise the Realm of Magic that you know of?" Albert inquired.

"Why would you want to? So we can have more Minas running around? Or spells that destroy half the kingdom?" Star raved on.

"Star…" Albert began.

"What possible reason could there be to even attempt to bring magic back into existence?!" Star finished her ramblings. Albert sighed heavily, knowing that this would come out eventually.

"Bill Cipher has returned," Albert revealed to everyone present, who all gasped in horror.

"What?" Star reacted.

"You can't be serious?!" Lock said fearfully.

"I take it your mission to the Uncharted Realms ended in failure?" Eclipsa asked.

"You went where?" Moon quizzed in disbelief.

"Well, now we have a new topic of conversation. What happened in the run-up to Bill's return?" Essery interrogated.

"As Eclipsa eluded to, there is a section of worlds in the multi-verse that Mewmans call the Uncharted Realms. It's taboo for Mewmans to travel to those worlds, but we had to follow an artifact belonging to Bill into one of those worlds after we failed to retrieve it last time," Albert explained.

"I can attest to that. I was there when the wand fled a place called the Second Dimension to those realms," Eclipsa backed up Albert.

"OK, so what happened in this 'Uncharted Realm'?" Ridgeway asked.

"I and two associates went there on a covert mission to retrieve Bill's wand and bring it here for containment. But someone else not only found it first but started using it," Albert recollected.

"In what way?" Brundle inquired.

"Under the guise of the Dread Mistress, she induced hallucinations of people's worst fears as a sort of vigilante justice. She had no idea Bill was just using her," Albert replied.

"And you did not engage this 'Dread Mistress' because?" O'Connor jabbed.

"She was an eight-year-old girl. We managed to separate her from the wand eventually, but as a plan B, Bill unleashed a lethal plague that sapped those infected of their strength while fuelling his rebirth. I made the decision to save lives at the cost of preventing Bill's return, and I'd do it again," Albert asserted. The Round Table discussed these findings amongst themselves. President Essery then came to a conclusion.

"We have decided that your actions in saving lives were appropriate. While we would've liked for the wand to be retrieved first, thus preventing Bill's return, we accept that first priority is to ensure the safety of the people," Essery concluded.

"I agree. We do not trade lives at Excalibur," Dipper added.

"We can discuss what we will do about Bill at a later point in time. Right now, we need to stabilise the current situation," Brundle suggested.

"Agreed. I propose that embassies be set up to establish relations between the residents of Earth and Mewni. Given Echo Creek's history, I believe they should be set up there," Essery added.

"Globgor and I have good relations with the monsters of Mewni. I can represent monster-kind here on Earth," Eclipsa volunteered.

"As a former queen of Mewni, I can readily represent the Mewman population. Between the two of us, we can hammer out a plan for co-existence," Moon added.

"Then it's a plan. I have a press conference to set up," Essery said.

"What will you tell them?" Albert probed.

"The truth. The people deserve that much," Essery answered. The meeting was concluded and everyone went their separate ways. Star, Marco, Moon, and Eclipsa were escorted back to Echo Creek to begin their new mission of forging peace between the people of Earth and Mewni.

"There's one more thing we have to take care of first," Marco pointed out. The other three knew what this was. Once they got to the Diaz house, Star and Marco hurried inside to get changed into more formal attire. Once they were ready, Star, Marco, and the Diazes got into a funeral hearse parked outside. Once at the gravesite, they found Moon and Eclipsa standing there as well. The coffin containing Pedro Diaz's body was lowered into the grave. The priest delivered his words.

"Pedro Diaz was not what anyone would call a saint, but when it mattered, he was there, ready and willing to do what was right. That is all any of us can ask of a person. May his example be one we should all look to in the times ahead and the good times shared with this heroic soul be cherished," the priest gave his speech. As per the president's request, Pedro was given a 21 gun salute and bagpipes playing 'Amazing Grace'. Once everyone except Star, Marco, Moon, and Eclipsa left, Marco then approached the headstone and knelt in front of it with Mariposa in his arms.

"Look here, Mariposa. This was your uncle, a man who always did what was right, even if it was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He was what we should all strive to be, what I will strive to be. Please give me strength for the trials ahead, uncle," Marco wished. He got back on his feet and together with Star, Moon, and Eclipsa, left to start their mission of peace properly.

True to her word, President Essery gave a press conference about the current situation. She spared no detail but left out names so as to avoid assigning blame.

'My fellow Americans. After an investigation into current events, an independent committee has yielded answers. The fusion of our two worlds was an inevitable consequence of actions that saved many lives. I am pleased to announce that the inhabitants of the other world have agreed to the establishment of embassies in Echo Creek, each representing a different portion of the populace. This is being undertaken as part of an effort to forge peaceful relations with our new neighbours, who are just as scared and confused about this new situation as we are. However, we have also discovered a terrible truth I must share with you all. In the course of the investigation, it was also revealed that our greatest enemy, Bill Cipher, has returned once again, and we find ourselves preparing for war. Do not fear, for we have beaten him before and fully expect to beat him again. I have the utmost confidence in our security agencies to keep us safe. As we speak, a plan is already being formulated. He will not win, as long as we stay true to ourselves. Thank you.'

Albert was watching the conference in his office with Kilstone.

"Do you really think we can win this war?" Kilstone asked.

"We'll need allies, Kilstone, and I think I know where to start looking," Albert responded.

Author's note: That is it, the conclusion to this story. I know it wasn't exactly the trial that many have hoped for. There were at least some SVTFOE fans who weren't too happy with the ending and wanted Star and Moon to face some kind of justice for their actions. I hope this is enough. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, Daron Nefcy, and Disney own SVTFOE. Enjoy, and as per usual, here is a post-credit scene or two:

Albert found himself in the Casagrande home. He was speaking to Rosa, the Mother of the Sisterhood of the Shining Light, about the proposal he had, the idea of a multi-dimensional alliance that would fight Bill and his forces.

"We're going to need all the help we can get. Bill doesn't usually stay silent like this unless he's biding his time, gathering his army together. He's planning something big, I can feel it," Albert briefed.

"Need I remind you that the Sisterhood is charged only with the defence of our own world. We cannot leave our borders undefended," Rosa asserted.

"Nor would I ask you to. With magic gone in our world, your sisters would be powerless the second they stepped through the portal. What we need now is any insight you could offer that may help us restore the Realm of Magic," Albert requested.

"I'll see what our collective magical knowledge can yield, but I make no promises," Rosa agreed.

"Thank you for your time, Mother Rosa," Albert ended the conversation. He was just about to leave when Ronnie Anne came bursting into the living room with her laptop in hand, a distressed look on her face which Rosa noticed.

"Mija, what is wrong?" Rosa inquired.

"Lincoln's gone, and so are his sisters!" Ronnie Anne replied.

"Gone where?" Rosa asked. Ronnie Anne showed Rosa and Albert the email she had been sent from Lincoln. The two could not believe what they were reading.

Here's the second and last post-credit scene:

Dipper and Pacifica were walking down a California beach one Saturday afternoon. Dipper had to hand it to Mabel, the beachwear she and Pacifica picked out prior to this date looked really good on her, so much so that he kept getting lost in thoughts best left unspoken. Needless to say, if Wendy were here now, she would not be able to stop laughing. Even with the world as it is now, this beach date was one they would cherish.

"This whole thing must be like Gravity Falls cranked up to eleven thousand for you, Dipper. There are all sorts of crazy characters walking the streets now," Pacifica observed.

"Yeah, Gravity Falls was like this, although I wasn't prepared for weirdness on our back-door. If this is what Mewni was like, no wonder Mabel always wanted to go," Dipper responded.

"Do you ever miss that place?" Pacifica asked.

"Yeah, immensely, but living here with you is a lot more fulfilling. I wouldn't trade it for the world," Dipper answered.

"You're getting sappy again, nerd," Pacifica mocked playfully.

"Yeah, but I'm your nerd," Dipper flirted back. The two laid down on their beach towel and got into an intense make-out session. Things were getting a little steamy when they heard a sound coming from the ocean. A merman washed up onshore. Dipper noticed that it wasn't just any merman, however. Both cursing the interruption and secretly thankful for the distraction, Dipper approached the merman.

"Mermando, what are you doing here?" Dipper probed.

"No time, I must find Mabel and…..what the sea devil happened here?" Mermando quizzed, taking in his surroundings, particularly the sky and the planetoids that were not there the last time he looked up at it.


End file.
